BJP’s betrayal of Telugu States continues

The Bharatiya Janata Party is continuing its betrayal of the Telugu States. This time it is on the steel plant in Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh and at Bayyaram in Telangana. Though the steel plants for the two Telugu States were part of the AP Reorganisation Act, the BJP-led NDA government had decided against the same, besides several other benefits promised for the Telugu States.

The betrayal for Andhra Pradesh was more by the BJP when compared with the Telangana. The BJP had betrayed the people of Andhra Pradesh on railway zone, sea port, special package to the backward districts and many more in the last four years. Though the previous governments have created separate zone exclusively for Kolkata metro, the BJP government now says that the zone for Andhra Pradesh where there are four divisions, is not feasible. The BJP does not want to give-up the profit-making Waltair division, depriving the Bhubaneswar-based East Coast Railway.

When the East Coast Railway with three divisions of Sambalpur, Khurda Road and Waltair is feasible, why not a separate zone with four divisions – Waltair, Vijayawada, Guntur and Guntakal? There are several zones, North Central Railway, South East Central Railway and West Central Railway having just three divisions and South Western Railway, North Western Railway and North Eastern Railway having four divisions.

The four divisions located in Andhra Pradesh, Waltair, Vijayawada, Guntur and Guntakal, would best fit to be a separate zone benefiting the people of this state. But, the BJP leadership is not ready to carve this zone, as it would first hit the East Coast Railway (Bhubaneswar-Odisha) of the Waltair and South Central Railway (Secunderabad-Telangana) of Vijayawada, Guntur and Guntakal. The BJP does not want to disturb either Odisha or Telangana where the party has some electoral stakes, while there is nothing for the party in Andhra Pradesh. It is just for this political reason, the railway zone is denied.

Same is the case with the steel plant and sea port in Andhra Pradesh and the BJP would never fulfil it, even if it is voted to power for any number of times.

Interestingly, Congress president Rahul Gandhi had promised special category status and the Congress leadership is comparatively liberal. It is for the people, particularly the people of Andhra Pradesh, now to take revenge on the BJP and see that the party will never be able to step in or have electoral benefits.